Don't Let Go
by YoureMyFavoritex
Summary: You've got ahold of my heart, she whispered. Don't let go. Jelsi oneshot


**Back again, just in time for New Years! So two accomplishments in one for me this time: first non-songfic (on FF) _and _longest oneshot of mine to date (6 pages)! Random idea that came to me, no real inspiration I guess, it just popped into my head. Sorry if [1 there are some mistakes (spelling, grammer, etc) and [2 the ending seems a little rushed. I've had the plan for a little while, and I wrote the first three parts easily, but I had a really difficult time writing the Kelsi part, I don't know why!**

**AN- Just to let you know, the first 'section' takes place right around HSM1/the winter musical, and the third 'section' takes place during HSM2/at the resort. Hopefully that helps when it comes to the time sequence.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything 'cept the idea. And HSM2 on DVD... which is actually my sister's... So yeah, just the idea. Unfortunately.**

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Don't Let Go

Kelsi twisted the combination lock and, hearing it click, leaned against the metallic red lockers of East High. She sighed, glancing down past her books at the watch strapped around her wrist. Realizing that she only had five minutes to get across the school to her homeroom, Kelsi groaned, pushing herself off the wall of lockers, and slipped her textbooks into her already overstuffed backpack. She hauled her enormous bag onto her tiny shoulders and was about to push into the throng of students, when a much larger hand found its way to hers. Kelsi glanced up and smiled, entwining her fingers with the boy's. "Hey Jase," she greeted softly, blushing slightly at the grin on his face.

"Hey," he replied, tightening his grasp on her hand and leaning down to kiss her on the cheek. "How are you?" Jason straightened up and took a step back, without dropping her hand. "You look tired."

"Yeah, well, you know how it is. Sharpay is convinced that the musical is going to be the best ever, so she's been calling at all hours of the night with 'suggestions' on how to make it better. It's a little stressful, I guess." Kelsi leaned onto his shoulder and closed her eyes. "A few more hours of sleep does sound wonderful, though."

Jason laughed and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "You better wake up soon! You know what today is, right?"

Kelsi straightened up and grinned. "Of course I do! Though I have to say, I'm surprised you remembered…"

"Hey, has Jason Cross ever forgotten something that important?" He smirked at her as she shrugged her shoulders, giggling. Jason dropped their joined hands momentarily and swung his backpack off one shoulder before unzipping it and reaching in. Slowly, he pulled out a small black jewelry box. He zipped his backpack, swung it back onto his shoulder, and turned back to Kelsi. "Happy one month, Kels."

Kelsi gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth. "Jason, you really didn't have to…" She trailed off as she took the box from him, and opened it, looking at the piece inside. It was a necklace, a simple music note on a silver chain. The music note was made up of ruby red garnets, and they reflected brilliantly in the fluorescent lighting of the school. "Jason, it's gorgeous," Kelsi whispered as she gently took it in her hands. Turning it, she discovered something engraved on the back. "23… Your number!"

Jason fidgeted slightly and smiled shyly at the small girl in front of him. "Well… Uhm… Yeah." She smiled at him, and he could see the sparkle in her eyes. "I was thinking maybe you could… maybe, uh… wear it to dinner tonight? If you wanted to, I mean." He looked around nervously, before his eyes rested on her beaming face.

"I'd love to. It's perfect." She bit her lower lip before wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. He visibly relaxed, happy that she liked the necklace, and drew her closer to him. Kelsi pulled away slightly and stood on tiptoes to kiss him lightly on his lips. "Thank you so much, Jase," she whispered. "I absolutely love it."

Jason grinned and turned her around to face the lockers. He took the necklace from her loose grasp and brushed her hair out of the way to latch it around her neck. He spun her back around to face him. "It looks beautiful," he stated, fingering the necklace softly. He looked at the excited expression on Kelsi's face and smiled. "You look beautiful."

Kelsi sighed and entwined her fingers with his yet again. She squeezed his hand lightly and whispered a thank you so soft he could barely hear it. Suddenly, interrupting the moment completely, the bell rang, warning them that they only hand one minute to get to homeroom. Kelsi groaned. "We're never gonna make it on time!"

Jason smirked. "Never say never!" He grasped Kelsi's hand tighter and began to make his way towards the bustling crowds of students hurrying to make it on time. "Kels?" he shouted over the noise.

"Yeah?" Her response came, just as loud.

"Don't let go!" With that, Jason began to run and dodge through the groups of kids, his hand still firmly gripping Kelsi's.

JK-HSM-JK-HSM-JK-HSM-JK-HSM

"Hey, Kels!" Kelsi turned from her locker as she heard her name being called. She smiled as she saw Gabriella running down the hallway towards her. "Hey Gabi. What's up?"

"Come on!" Gabriella grabbed her hand and Kelsi had just enough time to close her locker before she was pulled off in the direction that Gabriella had originally come from.

Moments later, the two girls arrived in the parking lot at the school, where the gang was gathered.

"Hey Kelsi!" Taylor greeted from where she and Chad were standing together, his arm wrapped loosely around her shoulders. Chad grinned at her and nodded, before turning back to Taylor.

Kelsi smiled back and turned to her right, where Jason had suddenly appeared. He bent down and kissed her gently. "Hey you."

She smiled up at her boyfriend before leaning into him and wrapping her arms around his waist. "Hey." Jason hugged her quickly, and she turned to face the group, her back against his chest. His arms wound around Kelsi's shoulders and pulled her close to him, his chin resting on the top of her head. "So what's the plan, guys?"

Troy looked up from where he had been playing with the bracelet on Gabriella's wrist. "We were thinking a picnic? Zeke brought food."

At the mention of his name, Zeke grinned and jerked his thumb in the direction of the parked cars in the lower lot. "Yeah, it's all in the truck. Does that sound good to you guys?"

"That sounds great!" Sharpay said, grinning up at her boyfriend. The rest of the teens agreed, and they all began making their way over to the cars.

Fifteen minutes later, the gang piled out of Troy's truck and Chad's car. Kelsi grinned when she saw where they were. The park was where she and Jason had gone on their first date. Jason noticed the smile on her face and smirked, grabbing her hand. "Brings back memories, huh?"

She looked up at him and nodded. Jason squeezed her hand, took a few steps in front of her and dropped down. For a rare moment, Kelsi was actually taller than her basketball playing boyfriend. He turned his head to look at her and grinned when he saw her confused expression. "C'mon, hop on!"

She laughed, and wrapped her arms around his next before winding her legs around his waist. He stood up suddenly, so quickly that Kelsi had to cling tightly to his shoulders while he regained his balance. Kelsi twisted her head towards him to kiss his cheek. "Happy three months, Jase." He grinned and turned his head as well to catch her lips in a soft kiss. As the two kissed, Kelsi reached one arm up and picked the baseball cap off his head, pulling it down onto her own. Jason ran a hand through his hair and smiled at her. "Looks better on you anyways." She giggled and adjusted the cap, tilting it slightly.

"Guys, hurry up!" Taylor called to them. The two realized that everyone else had gone on without them, and were halfway across the park already.

Jason laughed and Kelsi twisted her head towards him to kiss his cheek again. "Let's go! We don't want to keep them waiting!" He nodded, and began to walk over towards the group. "So Kelsi…" he began.

"Yeah?" she replied, tightening her grip around his neck.

"Don't let go!" he yelled, and broke out in a sprint across the grassy fields to where the rest of the group was setting up the food for an afternoon picnic.

JK-HSM-JK-HSM-JK-HSM-JK-HSM

Kelsi flinched as she felt cold drops of water fall on her. She sat up in the lounge chair that she had been relaxing in and pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head. She mock-glared at Jason, who was laughing from where he was leaning against the side of the pool. "Come on, Kels, the water's great!"

She stared defiantly for a moment more before the smile she had been attempting to hide broke though. "Let me just finish this, Jase" she responded, holding up her book. "I only have two more pages!" He grinned at her, and Kelsi stuck out her tongue before returning to the paperback.

As Kelsi continued to read, Jason slowly, quietly made his way out of the pool. Making his way around the patio, he snuck up behind her and shook his head violently, water droplets spraying from his shaggy hair.

"Jason!" Kelsi cried, shielding herself with the book. "So not funny! You got me soaked!"

"Oh yeah?" he teased as he brushed the wet hair from his eyes. "Whatcha gonna do about it?" He smirked, but began to back away as Kelsi slowly rose from her chair. She maneuvered her way around the chaise and picked up the pace, beginning to run towards her boyfriend. He laughed, then turned and took off sprinting across the grass. He ran slowly, though, and Kelsi quickly caught up to him, jumping on his back and giggling as they both tumbled to the ground. They rolled for a moment until Jason steadied the two and pinned Kelsi underneath him.

"Jase! You got me even more soaked!" Kelsi pushed lightly on his chest and Jason laughed as he bent down to kiss her. Kelsi stuck her tongue out at him again, and tossed her head from side to side, making it impossible for him to reach his target.

Moving quickly, Jason jerked his head down and covered her lips with his, halting her movement as she sunk into the kiss. "Fast reflexes, huh?" Jason kissed the tip of her nose and rolled off of her, standing up and reaching down to help pull Kelsi up. She grasped his hand and used her other arm to push herself off the ground. "You are such an idiot," she retorted, swatting at his chest and taking off once again, this time towards the sprawling golf courses.

Almost instantly, Jason had caught up with her. He reached out and grabbed Kelsi around the waist, swinging her around in circles before slowing to a stop. She looked up at his face expectantly, and he leaned down to kiss her quickly. She wound her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, despite the face that he was still dripping wet. He kissed her on the top of her head once, twice, three times before leaning down so his mouth was level with her ear. "Happy five months, Kels," he whispered, and she nodded into his chest, drawing indecipherable patterns on his stomach. "Alright, come on," he said as he pulled away, grasping her dry hand with his damp one and lacing their fingers together. "I'm gonna get you in the pool if it's the last thing I do!"

He began to race back towards the pool, pulling Kelsi along behind him. "Let's go, Kels, I wanna go in the poooool!" Jason whined, dragging her closer to the edge of the pool as they reached the patio.

"Jeez, Jase, try and sound like an adult for like a second, maybe? Is it too much to ask for?" She rolled her eyes as Jason smirked cheekily at her. "Give me one second and I'll go in, I promise." This time it was Jason's turn to roll his eyes, and Kelsi giggled as she pulled her sunglasses off the top of her head. She slipped her light blue flip flops off and pushed them under the chair with her foot. Kelsi wiggled out of her shorts and folded them neatly, placing them on the chaise underneath her book, then turned and made her way over to where Jason was watching her from the side of the pool.

"Hey you," Jason said softly, holding out a hand that she eagerly accepted. "Ready?"

"You betcha," she replied as they took a few steps backwards, away from the water.

"Just… don't… let… GO!" he cried as they ran forward together and jumped simultaneously into the crystal blue water, their hands still holding tight to one another.

JK-HSM-JK-HSM-JK-HSM-JK-HSM

"Oh my God, Jase, this is… This is incredible." Kelsi looked around, amazed at what she saw. When he had picked her up, he had said that they would do something special, but she never imagined anything like this. She looked down at the arrangement of food, and the candles placed carefully across the blanket laid out on the sand. She turned back towards where he was rummaging around in the back of his car and giggled.

Jason stuck his head out and winked at her, before reaching back into the car and grabbing something. "For you," he said quietly, handing her a bouquet of flowers, numerous flowers, all her favorite types, with a single orchid framed in the middle. Kelsi blushed slightly and smiled, taking the flowers from Jason's grasp and holding them under her nose, inhaling the mixture of scents. She pulled the cellophane wrapping from the stems and placed them gently in the vase centered on the blanket.

"I wanted to make it special, you know?" Jason said over Kelsi's shoulder, and she jumped slightly. Kelsi turned around and grinned at him, putting a hand on his shoulder. She reached up and pulled him down to her level simultaneously and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. Jason smiled into the kiss and wound his arms around, pulling her closer to him and deepening the kiss at the same time.

Kelsi pulled away and smiled up at Jason before grabbing his hand and pulling him down onto the blanket. "Let's eat, this looks delicious!"

Jason grinned at her. "Thank Zeke. You know me, I can't cook for anything." She giggled and leaned onto his shoulder, nodding.

As the two began to eat, the breeze from the lake blew in off the water and Kelsi shivered. He noticed and quickly slid his Wildcat team jacket off his shoulders and held it out to the small girl. Kelsi shook her head, insisting that she didn't need it, but Jason wouldn't take no for an answer. "Seriously, Kels, I'm a guy, I'll be fine. You're only wearing a tank top, you need it more than me," he persisted, and she rolled her eyes before taking it from his hand and smiling in thanks. "Plus, you look so adorable in my jackets."

"Could you be more of a guy?" Kelsi laughed, but she continued to pull the oversized jacket over her arms, leaving the front unzipped.

"Probably not." Jason replied, reaching out to grab the cans of soda from the cooler.

An hour later, the two were lying side by side on the blanket, the remaining food packed up and in the car. Kelsi was gazing up at the sky, and every once in a while she would point a shooting star out to Jason, who nodded, but seemed a little distracted. "You okay, Jase?" she asked, scooting over and resting her head on his chest.

"Yeah, of course!" he replied, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Kelsi grinned up at him and closed her eyes, listening to his steady, if somewhat quick, heartbeat. Jason picked up her hand and laced her fingers with his before pulling his hand away. He repeated this for a minute or two before she heard him whisper "Happy six months, Kels," and felt him slide something cool onto her ring finger.

"Huh?" Kelsi sat up quickly, looking down at her hand and the ring that circled her finger.

Jason sat up with her, pulling his arm from around her and grabbing her hand with his. "It's a promise ring, Kels." Kelsi's gaze remained on the ring, but she nodded, letting him know that she heard what he was saying. "Cause, well… Kels… I love you." Her head jerked up and she looked at Jason, a smile growing on her face. His nerves vanished and he brought her hand to his lips and kissed hit softly.

"I love you too, Jase." Kelsi whispered, and turned to him, kissing him soundly. "Happy six months." Kelsi lay back down on the blanket, and Jason followed suit, winding his arm back around his girlfriend. Kelsi pushed herself closer to Jason, and reached up so that her lips reached his ear. "You've got a hold of my heart, Jason Cross," she whispered softly. "Don't let go."

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**Happy New Year, guys! Hope '08 is great!**

**Oh, and thanks to everyone who reviewed my other oneshots... It's great to get all the feedback (good and bad!), and I really appreciate you all taking the time to both read my stories and let me know what you thought! You guys are the best!**

**-Anna**


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